Breakdown of Ширина этого стола слишком большая для нашей кухни.
Questions & Answers about Ширина этого стола слишком большая для нашей кухни.
Why is стола in the genitive case?
Because ширина means width, and in Russian words like width, length, height, size often take the thing being measured in the genitive:
- ширина стола = the width of the table
- длина дороги = the length of the road
- высота дома = the height of the house
So ширина этого стола literally means the width of this table.
Why is it этого стола, not этот стол?
Because этого has to match стола, and стола is genitive singular masculine.
Compare:
- этот стол = this table (nominative)
- ширина этого стола = the width of this table (genitive)
So этого is just the genitive form of этот.
Why is большая feminine?
Why does Russian use большая here? Wouldn’t wide make more sense?
Russian is saying The width of this table is too large for our kitchen, so большая modifies width, not table.
That is why the sentence uses:
- ширина ... слишком большая = the width is too large
If you want the more direct idea This table is too wide for our kitchen, Russian would usually say:
- Этот стол слишком широкий для нашей кухни.
Both are correct, but they are structured differently:
- Ширина этого стола слишком большая... = focuses on the measurement
- Этот стол слишком широкий... = focuses on the table itself
Why is there no word for is?
In the present tense, Russian usually omits the verb to be.
So English:
- The width of this table is too large
becomes Russian:
- Ширина этого стола слишком большая
There is no present-tense is in normal Russian sentences like this.
Why is it для нашей кухни? What case is that?
The preposition для takes the genitive case.
So:
- для кухни = for the kitchen
- для нашей кухни = for our kitchen
Here:
- кухня → кухни in the genitive
- наша → нашей to agree with кухни
So для нашей кухни is a standard для + genitive phrase.
Why is нашей spelled that way?
Because нашей is the genitive singular feminine form of наша.
The noun кухня is feminine, and after для it becomes genitive:
- nominative: наша кухня
- genitive: нашей кухни
So нашей matches кухни in gender, number, and case.
Is this a natural sentence, or is it a bit formal?
It is grammatical and natural, but it sounds a little more explicit or formal than the simpler version.
Compare:
Ширина этого стола слишком большая для нашей кухни.
= The width of this table is too large for our kitchen.Этот стол слишком широкий для нашей кухни.
= This table is too wide for our kitchen.
The first version sounds like someone is talking about dimensions or measurements. The second version is more likely in everyday speech.
Can the word order change?
Yes. Russian word order is flexible, though not random.
The sentence as written is neutral:
- Ширина этого стола слишком большая для нашей кухни.
But you could also say:
- Для нашей кухни ширина этого стола слишком большая.
This puts more emphasis on for our kitchen.
Or, more naturally in everyday speech:
- Этот стол слишком широкий для нашей кухни.
So the basic meaning stays the same, but word order can shift emphasis or style.
Could I use a different adjective, like велика?
Yes. You may also hear:
- Ширина этого стола слишком велика для нашей кухни.
This means almost the same thing: The width of this table is too great for our kitchen.
A rough style difference:
- слишком большая = plain, straightforward
- слишком велика = a bit more formal or literary
Both are correct.
What exactly does слишком mean here?
Слишком means too in the sense of more than is acceptable or suitable.
So:
- слишком большая = too big / too large
This is different from:
- очень большая = very big
So:
- очень большая = large, but maybe okay
- слишком большая = excessively large, not okay for the situation
In this sentence, it means the table’s width is more than the kitchen can reasonably accommodate.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning RussianMaster Russian — from Ширина этого стола слишком большая для нашей кухни to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions